


the talk of the town is that i came and blew it down

by rxginamills



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Fights, Gen, Protective Siblings, Protectiveness, and then she gets recruited in the death eaters and the rest is history, his music is fire, i just want me a protective absolutely pissed off older sister bellatrix, i really like writing about sisterhood and sisterly relationships haha, i still love it, so that's what i'm gonna get, something about protective older siblings just hits the spot, the title is from isaac dunbar's song ferrari, this is shorter than i wanted it to be but it's fine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-06
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-15 02:29:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29801580
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rxginamills/pseuds/rxginamills
Summary: Bellatrix swore to protect her sister no matter what, even if it meant going to extremes. Luckily she liked the extremes.
Relationships: Bellatrix Black Lestrange & Narcissa Black Malfoy, Bellatrix Black Lestrange & Tom Riddle | Voldemort





	the talk of the town is that i came and blew it down

Bellatrix sensed that something was wrong the second she entered the kitchen of 12 Grimmauld Place and saw Narcissa plunge her hands into a sink full of water. She could've almost sworn that her sister was crying or at least holding back tears. Bellatrix went closer as Narcissa cursed sharply at the sensation of the water against her skin. 

"Cissy?"

She turned around so abruptly that the water from her hands soaked Bellatrix's shirt. Items such as her clothing were irrelevant to her, especially when being faced with Narcissa's strange behavior. She hid her hands behind her back before Bellatrix could get a proper look at them.

"Bella!" she exclaimed, "You scared me."

"Sorry," Bellatrix replied awkwardly, "Are you okay? For a moment there I thought you were crying." 

"Wh- crying? I'm not crying." Narcissa stumbled around with her words. Bellatrix wasn't convinced but shifted her attention to her sister's wet hands instead.

"What's up with your hands?" she asked. Narcissa took a step back.

"Nothing."

Bellatrix chuckled, "We both know that's a lie. Show me." 

Narcissa hesitated for a moment before she exposed her hands to her sister. Bellatrix's breath caught in her throat. 

Narcissa's palms were covered in pink gashes and burns, like tiger stripes drawn on her skin with a stick of hot iron. Some of them stretched out to her forearms. At first Bellatrix was so in shock that she didn't know what to do, all she could do was stare, but then her field of vision began to cloud with burning, screaming rage. Someone had hurt her little sister, and God help whoever that person was. 

"Who did this to you?" she whispered in horror. Narcissa returned to holding her hands in the sink. 

"That's _really_ not important-"

"Narcissa Black, I swear to god…" Bellatrix growled and drew out her wand. 

"Fine, fine!" Narcissa exclaimed defensively, "There's this guy, Carter. Richard Carter. He's a fifth year Gryffindor, the captain of the Quidditch team too. He- he's been- well, you know." 

Narcissa was fourteen and all sorts of childish quarrels between students weren't new to her, but this kind of escalation certainly was. Bellatrix was wary enough of Gryffindors as it was; it probably came with the territory, seeing as Slytherins and Gryffindors had been rivals for a long time. But to find out that a Gryffindor boy had done something to _burn_ Narcissa? Bellatrix might as well have been heading straight to Azkaban for his murder. 

"So what you mean to tell me is that this boy has been physically harassing you." she said slowly, trying to control her breathing. Narcissa drained the water and pulled her sleeves over her arms. 

"I… I guess so."

"And when did this happen?" 

"Every now and then, but I saw him at Diagon Alley not long ago. I came back with Floo Powder right before you found me." 

Bellatrix perked up, "Do you think he's still there?"

"I don't kn-"

"Good enough. Let's go."

Before Narcissa could protest Bellatrix grabbed her arm and Disapparated. It happened to be Narcissa's first time Apparating at all since she had never done it illegally up until that point. It felt like her insides were travelling through drainage pipes and her limbs were rearranged in the span of a few seconds. Diagon Alley materialized around her in a flash and her legs gave up under her. 

"Not bad for your first time, Cissy," Bellatrix said as her eyes scanned the street, "Most people vomit until their lungs are toast."

Narcissa got up from the cobblestone path with shaky legs, "That was horrifying."

"You'll get used to it. Now, do you see him?" 

Narcissa settled her gaze on the waves of customers occupying the street. Some people were there to make summer sales but most were probably stocking up due to the current unrest around the wizarding communities of the country. Richard Carter was being predictable by ogling at a professional Quidditch broom right outside the store. Bellatrix caught sight of him as well and began storming his way. Narcissa followed suit. 

Richard's friends noticed the threatening energy Bellatrix radiated before the boy himself did, but the other boys were quick to inform him about her arrival. Bellatrix could see his eyes widen in fear when he saw her which brought her great pleasure. Perhaps going after a 15-year-old boy wasn't the most mature of moves from her either but she would not - _could_ not let what had happened stand. All that mattered was protecting her sister. 

Richard took of running into Knockturn Alley, causing Bellatrix and Narcissa to pick up speed too. Bellatrix's wand was tightly grasped in her hand.

"Oh, he's running, that coward. I'm gonna fucking kill him. COME HERE, YOU SPINELESS RAT!" she screamed. Narcissa felt like crying again.

The Black sisters ran after Richard until he had driven himself into a dark inner court with one way out, and that was through the girls. He didn't know Knockturn Alley like they did which gave them an advantage.

"Get the hell away from me, Black!" he exclaimed as he grabbed something from his pocket and threw it in the girls' direction. Bellatrix was quick to block it with a shield spell and it crackled and spat fire against the magic barrier for a moment before it died out, emitting an unpleasant smell. Bellatrix picked up the small object.

"A Dungbomb that you tampered with, very inspiring. Is this what you burned Narcissa with, huh? Is this it?" she yelled and tossed the stink bomb over her shoulder nonchalantly. Then she rushed forward, grabbed Richard by his shoulders and threw him on the ground. 

Richard was taller and more broad-shouldered than her, quite significantly so for a 15-year-old, but it didn't intimidate her. Richard Carter was _nothing_. He should've cowered just at her name alone. 

"Merlin's beard, what's _wrong_ with you?!" he yelled. 

"Stupefy!" Bellatrix screamed and hit Richard square in the stomach, sending him rolling further along the stones. He cried out. 

"You burned my sister, you son of a bitch!" Bellatrix ran after him and sent a series of explosive spells his way. Richard stumbled away and crouched behind a bench, narrowly avoiding all the blasts. 

"Ah, I see how it is," he said breathlessly and wiped some blood from his face, "We have a case of the protective older sister syndrome! How adorable, little miss Narcissa needs a bodyguard now- argh!"

Bellatrix had to use Bombarda only once to completely shatter the bench and toss Richard against the wall of one of the surrounding buildings like he weighed nothing. Narcissa was paralyzed in shock. Something about Bellatrix was different in that moment; she was trembling as her magic moved with her like an aura. She was so powerful that Narcissa could physically feel it in their surroundings. 

"My sister is from the great House of Black! You barely deserve to look her in the eye!" Bellatrix seethed. She walked up to Richard and to her surprise the boy pulled out his wand and pointed it at her throat. 

"Attack me, I _dare_ you. The Ministry will expel you from Hogwarts for underage use of magic if I don't kill you first." she said threateningly. 

Richard held his wand up for a moment more before he groaned in frustration and shoved it back inside his pocket. Bellatrix kept hers trained on his face. 

"Why did you hurt my sister on multiple occasions?"

"Come on, just let me go-"

"TELL ME!" she drove the tip of her wand into his neck as her voice grew in volume. Narcissa was unsure if she should intervene.

"We just wanted to play and she was a good target, I-"

"She's a _14-year-old girl_!" Bellatrix snarled, "And you thought injuring her would satisfy whatever sadistic craving of fun you have?!"

She yanked him off the wall to push him to the side and follow the movement with a stunning spell. Richard crawled further away from her on all fours, trying to maintain distance between himself and the young woman. 

"You're out of your mind." he breathed heavily. 

"Maybe," Bellatrix growled, "And _you're_ lucky my sister's here or there'd be no trace left of your existence. I better never see your face again. If I hear Narcissa mention your name _once_ …" 

"Jesus- fuck! I get it, you'll probably dismember me, you maniac! Leave me alone!" Richard yelled and began to scramble away. As soon as he was gone Bellatrix took Narcissa in her arms and held her close. Her heart was pounding so hard she feared it would pop right out of her chest. She felt more powerful than she ever had before. Giving that Gryffindor boy a taste of his own medicine, and then some, had felt great.

The adrenaline pumping through the bodies of both girls didn't have time to settle down when there was new movement in the shadows. Bellatrix spun around in a way that left Narcissa standing behind her, almost completely shielded with her body. She pointed her wand towards the source of the sound and Narcissa pulled out hers to do the same. 

A cloaked figure appeared in front of them as if having materialized out of thin air. Bellatrix could instantly tell that it was a man, and the powerful magical energy around him convinced her that he wasn't an ordinary wizard. At first he said nothing and simply stood there, which Bellatrix found unnerving, but then he pulled back the hood of his cloak. Narcissa gasped at what she saw and then instantly slammed her hand on her mouth in regret. 

Bellatrix recognized him as soon as he revealed his face. His skin was unnaturally pale, almost grey, and the veins showing so clearly on his bald head were an uncomfortable image. The wand he carried looked like a stick that anyone could've snapped off the nearest tree but something about how he held it confirmed that he was not to be messed with. In the end the most eerie thing about him was the way he smiled at the girls, even bent his head into a small bow of greeting. Bellatrix lowered her wand instinctively but kept Narcissa securely behind her.

"The Dark Lord," Bellatrix whispered, "You're the Dark Lord."

She knew he carried the name Voldemort, a name he had constructed himself, but it was probably safer if she didn't use it and referred to him using other monikers if she had to. 

"Indeed," the dark wizard replied, "And you are Bellatrix and Narcissa Black from the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black."

"How did you know that?" Narcissa asked quietly. 

"One would have to have lived a very sheltered life to not know about the House of Black. But wasn't there a third sister…?"

The girls grew quieter. Images of Andromeda, their estranged sister and the middle child, flashed through their minds. She was sweet and beautiful, but dead to them now, whether they liked it or not. Bellatrix was much more unkind to her than Narcissa.

"There was, but no more." Bellatrix explained. She felt less afraid by the minute. Voldemort nodded pensively. 

"I see. No matter. I'm not here for her anyway." 

Suddenly he was behind her. The air in the inner court felt different. Narcissa clung closer to the taller girl. 

"You protected your sister very admirably." 

His tone of voice changed; he was almost hissing like a snake. Bellatrix chuckled awkwardly.

"I beat up a 15-year-old boy after the thing that I was supposed to protect her from had already happened. Doesn't feel very admirable to me." 

"But it worked, did it not? And you felt the thrill of it coursing through your veins, you wanted to do more, to give him tenfold the damage he did to your sister. I can see it in your mind, you're almost telling it to me willingly." Voldemort breathed as he stepped in front of her again and the decreased the distance between them. Bellatrix was intrigued him, drawn to the intensity of his very being. She had heard rumors of him being a powerful Legilimens and he had just confirmed them all by looking into _her_ mind. Hearing this from him felt strange and a little invasive but also like an honor. 

"You're a powerful witch," Voldemort declared, "And a recent Hogwarts graduate too, I gather?"

"I graduated less than a month ago. My sister will be a fourth year this fall." Bellatrix replied. Voldemort's gaze moved on to Narcissa for a split second before it returned to the older witch. 

"You really love her."

"More than anything." 

Bellatrix didn't hesitate to answer. Her fierce love for Narcissa - the sister that hadn't betrayed and dishonored the House of Black, the sister that had _stayed_ \- was an unyielding force, a truth that wouldn't falter. Even if both girls changed, which they were bound to do, that love never would.

"I could help you protect her," Voldemort murmured cunningly, "I could give you everything you desire."

Narcissa saw something twist a little in her sister in that moment, but she had no idea just how much she would continue to bend and what kind of person she would become in the future. Quite frankly, all she could think about was how badly she wanted to go home before their father, Cygnus, grounded her for the rest of her life. Voldemort could probably see that in her mind too.

"You would bestow the gift of your aid upon _me_?" Bellatrix marvelled. 

"But, of course. You have my word." Voldemort said. Narcissa tugged on her sister's arm.

"Bella-"

"Deal!" 

Voldemort grinned widely with all of his chipped and rotten teeth showing and it was the most unsettling thing Narcissa had ever seen. This dark wizard was outright terrifying and her sister was completely enamored with his viciousness. For all she knew his promises were empty, he could've just been manipulating her to get her on his side!

It didn't matter, for it had already worked. Bellatrix had always played rough, ever since she was a child, and trouble had always followed her wherever she went. Better yet, her and trouble walked hand in hand. She loved Narcissa like she loved her fun and putting the two of them together meant that she was sold on the spot. Time, something so simple yet unbearably venomous, had caught up to the girls, ready to guide Bellatrix to the other side of the world. Narcissa was afraid for her.

"Bella, this is scaring me…" Narcissa muttered unsurely. Bellatrix turned to her and took her face between her hands.

"Don't be scared, Cissy, this is for you, for _us_! I will _never_ let anyone hurt you again. Maybe- maybe with his help I can remake this world to keep you safe, to secure our future!" 

Narcissa removed Bellatrix's hands from her face and laced their fingers together. Holding her like that reminded her that she was _real_ and so warm and so familiar and yet… drifting away from that familiarity with every passing moment. 

"Bellatrix," Voldemort spoke, regaining the attention of the sisters, "The next time we are gathered, I will expect you there. When I call for you, you will come." 

"But how will I find you?" she asked desperately as he began putting his cloak back on. 

"You'll know." 

He was gone as quickly as he had arrived. The spot he had stood at mere mere seconds earlier had no trace of him ever being in their presence. Narcissa could instantly breathe a little easier. She hugged Bellatrix again and ignored the sting of the fabric of her clothes against the burns on her hands. They were finally free to go.

From that point on Bellatrix was home less frequently. The Dark Lord had been right when he had said she'd just know when he was calling; it came almost automatically now. War was on their doorstep and Bellatrix intended to be on the right side of it, doing what she knew best: causing chaos.

She showed up at Grimmauld Place a month later with dark circles around her eyes and a dark and loud tattoo on her right arm. Bellatrix saw the horror and uncertainty in Narcissa's eyes as she scanned the image on her skin, the dark energy of it beaming aggressively. It was almost like she, among others, had been claimed by the Dark Lord. She kept her distance from Narcissa and the few feet between them felt like a deep and wide canyon. 

"I promised to protect you, Cissy," Bellatrix's voice didn't shake for a single moment when she finally spoke, "This is how."

She Disapparated on the spot and Narcissa broke down into tears. 


End file.
